Manufacture of artificial leather.



No. 667,770. Patented Feb. l2, I90L a. s. & c FALKENSTEIN. MANUFACTUREOF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1990.)

as in H P I II'I ll 1 I I fiii l i il l I I 'NI EI I I II I lUNrTnnSTATES ATENT FFrcE.

GEORGE S. FALKENSTE-IN AND CHARLES FALKENSTEIN, OF PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL LEATHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,770, dated February12, 1901.

Application filed October 13, 1900. Serial No. 32,921. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE S. FALKEN- STEIN, a subject of the Emperorof Germany, and OHARLns FALKENSTEIN, a citizen of the United States,both residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphiaand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Manufacture of Artificial Leather and in the Methodof Producing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has relation to the manufacture of artificial leather andto the method of producing the same.

The nature, scope, and characteristic features of our invention will bemore fully understood from the following description,taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing,forming parthereof,illustrating,diagrammatically, a preferred form of an apparatusadapted for the conduct of the method of our said invention.

Referring to the drawing, a and a represent rolls of materials toconstitute the back 1) and face I) of the sheet B, which is to become bysubsequent treatment artificial leather. The back 1') is a textilematerialsuch as muslin, linen, or the likeand the face I) is a mattedorloosely-felted cellulose materialsuch, for instance, ascotton-batting. The sheet B passes between pressure-rolls a and a to andthrough a tank 0, within which are preferably arranged two atomizers cand 0 facing each other, so that an acid-bath or mixture, composed oftwo-thirds of sulfuric acid to one-third of muriatio acid, more or less,in the tank 0 may be presented by means of. these atomizers to bothfaces of the sheet B in its passage through the said tank 0, whereby thetextile backing and cellulose face are formed into a homogeneous sheethaving a leather-like face and textile back. Beyond the tank 0 the sheetof combined and united materials pass between pressure-rolls d and d andthen over the guiderolls 6 and 6 through a chamber or vat E, providedwith spraying devices 6 and 6 arranged in opposite directions to eachother, and which spraying devices are adapted to deliver to therespective sides or faces of the sheet B a fluid,

consisting of water containing acertainproportion of soda or ammonia forthe purpose of removing or washing out all traces of acid from the saidsheet. The sheet of combined materials then passes over guide-rolls e cand 6 into and through a tank F, containing a solution composed ofthirty parts of glycerin, one hundred parts of linseed-oil, ten parts offlour, and five parts of degras, more or less, constituting what istermed a liquidfiller material or, solution. The sheet B is permitted toabsorb sufficient of the filler to make its face soft, pliable, andpulpy, like leather, and then after leaving the vat or tank F passesbetween the brushes f and f whereby any surplus of filler carriedtherewith will be removed prior to the passage of the fabric betweenpressure-rolls g and g. The sheet B then passes over a guide-roll 9through a series of guide-rolls h, located in the tank H, containing asuitable dyeing material or materials, and beyond which the sheet passesover guide-rolls t' and 'i' and around a steam or heated drying-roll I,whereby the sheet,

having been dyed, is thoroughly dried and passes over and aroundcalender-rolls J of different diameters, as clearly illustrated. Thepreviously-treated materials in sheet form, after passing through thegoffering, enameling, embossing, or graining rolls L to assume thecondition of artificial leather, pass on to the lay-up roll K, ready foruse as a substitute for leather.

The use of sulfuric and muriatic acids in the relationship to each othergiven affords excellent results, because not only is the cellulose faceI) converted into a leathery and spongy substance, but the textile backbis also firmly united to the face I) to reinforce the same. We,however, wish it to be un derstood that we do not confine ourselves tothe precise proportions of materials either as to the acid-bath or thefiller solution, because both of which may be varied to a greater orless extent without departing from the spirit and scope of ourinvention.

Having thus described the nature and objects of our invention, what weclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improvement in the art of making artificial leather, whichconsists in subjecting a backing of textile material and a facing ofloosely matted or felted cellulose material, such as cotton-batting, toa bath of combined sulfuric and mnriatic acids, to cause the textilebacking and cellulose face to unite into a sheet having a leather-likeface and a textile back, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

2. The improvement in the art of making artificial leather, whichconsists in subjecting a backing of textile material and a facing ofloosely matted or felted cellulose material, such as cotton-batting, toa bath of combined sulfuric and muriatic acids, then removing all tracesof free acids therefrom and finally subjecting the treated material tothe influence of a suitable filler, whereby the textile backing andcellulose face are formed into a sheet having a leather-like face and atextile back, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The improvement in the art of making artificial leather, whichconsists in subjecting a backing of textile material and a facing ofloosely matted or felted cellulose material, such as cotton-batting, toa bath of combined sulfuric and mu riatic acids, to cause the backingand facing; to unite, then removing all traces of free acids therefrom,then su bjecting, to the influence of a liquid filler for softening theface ofthe united materials, and then subjecting the filled face tofinishing operations, substantially and for the purposes described.

4. The improvement in the art of making artificial leather, whichconsists in subjecting a backing of textile material and a facing ofloosely mattedor felted cellulose material, such as cotton-batting, to abath of combined sulfuric and muriatic acids, then to the influence of afiller, and finally subjecting the filled material to finishingoperations, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The improvement in the art of making artificial leather, whichconsists in subjecting a backing" of textile material and a facing ofloosely matted or felted cellulose material to the influence of a bathof combined sulfuric and muriatic acids, removing all traces of freeacids therefrom, in a bath of water and soda or ammonia, then subjectingto the influence of a liquid filler consisting of glycerin, linseed-oil,flour and degras for softening the face of the united materials and thensubjecting the filled face to finishing operations, substantially as andfor the purposes described.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto set our signatures in the presenceof two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE S. FALKENSTEIN. CHARLES FALKENSTEIN. \V itn esses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, WILHELM VOGT.

